California to be First State in the Nation to Prohibit Employers from Seeking Prior Salary History AB 1676 (Campos)

Sacramento, CA – On the 7th Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, California is poised to do even more to eliminate the gender pay gap. Assembly Bill 1676 authored by Assemblymember Nora Campos (D-27), would prohibit employers from asking prospective employees for their salary history.

At first glance, it may not be obvious why asking about a job applicant’s prior salary history is sex discrimination. It wasn’t in the too distant past that it was not recognized as a problem to ask about a woman’s marital status or plans to have children but now those questions are universally recognized as basis for discrimination. Specifically for the issue prior salary history, the idea to base a new wage on the old, possibility discriminatory wage, simply perpetuates the discrimination. Instead a woman should be judged on her qualifications for the position. Continue reading→